The Robin in the Yew Tree
by XCherokeeRoseX
Summary: Finding the school has been a god send, it seemed like the perfect place for them. The few months that they had been here had been the most peaceful Carol had ever experienced. Even before the turn. But peace doesn't last long in this new world, and when hell breaks loose the most important thing is your own survival. Is it even possible to have a new life in this world of death?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So this is hopefully going to be my first multi-chapter fanfic! I hope you all enjoy, and that it works out and actually ends up being finished ^^

**Disclaimer: **The Walking Dead and its characters belong to AMC/Robert Kirkman. Lana Fitzpatrick and Sheriff are my own fan characters and belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Quick light footsteps echoed off the linoleum floor, drawing nearer, disturbing Carol from her sleep. The sound of giggles accompanied the steady rhythm, before it faded away and disappeared down the corridor. Carol sat upright on the mattress, stretching her arms behind her head and propping herself up against the wall behind her.

It seemed like only yesterday that Judith was crawling around the floor, quick but not quick enough to escape the watchful eye of whoever had the misfortune of being on babysitting duty at the time. After she started walking it didn't take her long to figure out how to run.

Carol breathed a small laugh, wondering who was having to chase around the toddler, before reaching out a hand to the school desk being used as a bedside table and grabbing her watch. She'd found it on a run not too long ago, along with some batteries, and managed to get the thing running. It was a stylish watch, slim and white with a silver metal frame. One of her few possessions other than clothes and weapons.

_6:18_

There was still a little time before they had to be up. She slid herself back under the white sheets, curling up with one hand under the pillow and one by her face. A smile spread across her face as the she caught sight of the glinting rock attached to her finger with a thin golden band. She would never be able to forget the blur of emotions that had overcome her the day Daryl gave it to her, having finally decided he wanted to spend the rest of the numbered days they all had left as her husband.

He had proposed out beside what once was a high school football field, after coming back from a run where he happened upon a jewellery store that miraculously still had a few items that hadn't been looted yet.

It was then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She tilted her head slightly as he nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Mornin'" Daryl said sleepily, his breath warm on her skin.

"Did I wake you?" Carol replied.

"Nah, Ass Kicker did. We gotta get up yet?"

"We've still got about 10 minutes"

"God. Don't think I'm ready to leave yet, 's too comfy" he said as he planted a kiss on her cheek, tightening his grip on her.

It was then the door burst open, right before a very exhausted looking Glenn stumbled into the room.

"That kid has more energy than any living being I've ever seen! I swear she could overtake a cheetah, maybe a Ferrari!"

Carol heard Daryl's hidden laughter, his face still buried in her neck. She escaped his hold and pushed herself up until she was sitting up towards the door.

"Do you need some help Glenn?" she asked, both eyebrows raised and a smile slowly emerging on her face.

"That would be pretty good, yeah" he replied, his voice full of relief.

Carol heard Daryl groan through the pillow before making a move to get up. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Get some more sleep, I've got it"

He looked at her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to let her handle it herself but before he could react she had kicked off the sheets and was climbing off the mattress. She made a move to grab her clothes which were draped over a plastic chair when she froze, quickly retreating to the mattress.

"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked, now sitting up with a hand lightly brushing across her back.

"No, its just… I don't feel so good. Maybe dinner last night didn't agree with me" she replied.

"Stay here, I'll take care of Judith"

"You'll be alright with chasing her around everywhere?"

"'Course I will, I'm an expert toddler chaser. Can't get away from me"

Carol gave an appreciative smile as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Okay then. Its probably nothing anyway, I'll be over it soon"

Daryl placed his hand to her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He moved to grab a clean shirt and pair of ripped pants that were crumpled on the floor and pulled them on. After giving her a silent nod, he followed Glenn out the door and down the hallway.

Carol's hand moved to her stomach. She felt nauseated, like she was going to throw up. Wait, maybe she actually was going to throw up. Stumbling to her feet she rushed out the door and down the hallway, in the opposite direction that Daryl and Glenn had taken moments earlier. Her hand covered her mouth as she run, until she reached the bathrooms that were thankfully not too far from their room.

The contents of her stomach had been emptied in a matter of seconds, but the nausea remained. Even though there was barely anything left to throw up, Carol didn't feel confident to leave the bathrooms. But she knew she would have to get something to eat soon. Luckily, it wasn't her shift for breakfast this morning. She clutched her stomach. The thought of eating wasn't entirely appealing at the moment, but she couldn't starve herself.

After a few more minutes and nothing else coming up, she dragged herself to her feet and dawdled back into the classroom that was now their bedroom. The room was spacious, especially after all the desks had been moved out of the way, but other than that there wasn't much in terms of furnishing, which led to piles of clothes and other items strewn all over the place. They didn't even have a proper bed, just a mattress pushed up against the wall with some old pillows and some sheets. But at least it was better than a cramped cell, that was for sure.

Finding the school has been a god send. It seemed like the perfect place for them, away from any large cities or densely populated areas, but still near enough to stores and houses where they could scavenge supplies from. Tall iron gates surrounded the perimeter of the property, seemingly more sturdy even that the fence at the prison. There were enough classrooms for them to have their own space, as well as an armoury, an infirmary, and a cafeteria complete with a kitchen.

They could actually make a life here for themselves. They hadn't even had any run ins with un-neighbourly types that wanted what they had. The few months that they had been here had been the most peaceful Carol had ever experienced. Even before the turn.

Still feeling a little unwell, Carol took her time getting dressed, moving slowly and carefully as if a sudden movement would spark the sickness again. By the time she had meandered over to the cafeteria, mostly everyone was up and about, helping to prepare the food and set the tables for breakfast.

The smell of bacon filling the room fired up her queasiness again, and she nearly turned and left before she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned to see Lana, with Carl following close on her heels.

"Hey, Michonne's organising a run to that clothes store a few miles from here. Could I go? I'll be really careful, I swear!" she asked, looking at Carol with those bright green eyes of hers.

It had been during the winter following the downfall of the farm that Lana had been welcomed into their lives. Carl had found her hiding out in the bushes just outside of the area they had been using as a camp for a few nights. The poor girl was orphaned and alone, with the exception of Sheriff of course. If was as if the girl and her dog were attached at the hip. So they had taken her in, and she'd become like a daughter to Carol.

"I promise I'll take real good care of her Carol" Carl had added.

"Like I need to be taken care of, I'm perfectly capable myself" Lana retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Who else is going?" Carol managed to say, nearly gagging at the smell still hanging in the air.

"Glenn and Maggie I think, Daryl might be going too. Please Carol, I wanna help out" Lana pleaded, sticking out her bottom lip a little as she spoke, like she always did when she wanted something.

"Well, I suppose you can. But be careful. Always be on the lookout for danger, you can't rely on everyone else keeping you safe. And stay with the group at all times, no wandering off"

"Yes ma'am" she replied, rolling her eyes as a grin spread across her face.

Without another word she hurried off with Carl to find a place at one of the tables. Carol smiled fondly after them. She admired Lana's enthusiasm to help, and she knew she was capable of doing so, but couldn't help but worry about her going out there. Anything could happen, and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if it did. She'd been down that road before.

A tap on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts.

"Could you help us serve up the eggs?" Maggie asked as she offered Carol a bowl of scrambled eggs with a large spoon to serve them.

"Of course" Carol replied, taking the bowl in her left hand and the spoon in her right. The smell of the eggs wafting from the bowl drowned out the now sickening smell of sizzling bacon as she inhaled the delicious scent. She quickly made her way over to the counter to serve up the eggs, almost like a school lunch lady would have before the world went to hell.

* * *

"God, you're a natural. Did you have any kids before all this?" Glenn asked, leaning up against a door to catch his breath.

They had been chasing Judith around for only a few minutes before Daryl had caught up and managed to somehow settle down the child. Glenn was nearly in awe at his abilities. Judith wasn't wasn't settled.

"Kids? Nah" Daryl said from the ground where he sat playing with Judith. "But I knew people who did, got stuck babysittin' more than once"

Judith rolled the ball over to him with a giggle, thrown her hands up in the air.

"Again! Again!" she squealed as she clapped.

"Okay sweetheart" he replied, before rolling the ball between his legs over to where she sat in the same position with her legs spread apart.

"Most of my friends hadn't gotten to that stage yet. Only one or two actually had someone to have kids with, the rest were still out to find 'the one'" Glenn said, having finally caught his breath.

He pushed himself off the door and eased himself onto the ground beside the other two, crossing his legs in front of him and leaning back on his hands.

"Did you ever think of having any?"

"Dunno. I wasn't exactly hell bent on finding someone and settling down, but if it happened it happened, I guess. Hardly matters now though, now I've got one"

"Yeah, Lana took to you quickly didn't she?"

Daryl shrugged. "S'pose she did"

"Honestly, at first I thought having a kid in this world would be bad, that it would grow up living or horrible life or probably end up—" Glenn hesitated to say the word. "…Dead. But now after Judy, I'm thinking it might not be such a bad thing. Maybe it could work out after all"

"Are you and Maggie thinking about—"

"Not yet, but, I've been thinking it could be nice to start a family. The thing is, every time I start believing it could work — because I know now that it is possible to raise a kid in the apocalypse — I remember what happened to Lori. I'd like to have kids, but if it means risking Maggie's life than I'm definitely not for it"

"I guess you're right. Its possible but its still dangerous. If we had the resources everything would work out fine, and this place is safe enough not to worry about somethin' happenin' like back at the prison"

Glenn thought for a moment, eyes glancing down at the white linoleum floors as another giggle erupted from Judith's mouth. She picked up the ball and pushed herself up off the ground, before walking over to where Glenn sat and placing the ball in his lap.

"You play too?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Sure kiddo" he replied with a small smile, bouncing the ball to her. She nearly missed but ended up catching it. She looked at Glenn with a triumphant look on her face before bouncing it back over to him. As he caught it, he turned back to Daryl.

"Maybe" he said.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught both man's attention, and they both quickly turned towards the source of the noise.

"Breakfast's ready. You better hurry before its all gone. They're like vultures in there" Tara said, throwing her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Come on Judy" Daryl said, picking her up as he and Glenn followed Tara back into the cafeteria, where they could smell the heavenly scent of cooked bacon and eggs was wafting through the air.

As soon as they walked through the set of double doors, Daryl was jumped by an excited Lana who was babbling something about a run. She spoke so fast he nearly couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"Woah, woah, slow down kid. Whats this about a run?" he said, holding out his free hand in front of him.

"Michonne's organising a run to one of the department stores in town. Carol said I could go, and I wanted to know if you were going too" she said, her eagerness toning down only enough for her to speak normally. An excited expression still remained on her face.

"I guess so, can't have you goin' out there without me" he replied, shifting Judith's weight in her arms.

"I can take care of myself" she said with a smirk, hands on her hips.

"Never said you couldn't. But its dangerous out there, you know that"

"I've got Sheriff, and the group"

"You can't always rely on the others, including Sheriff. He's a dog after all"

"Then why do I have to rely on you?" she countered.

Daryl paused for a moment, taking in a breath. The thought of something happening to one of them, his family, without him around to help was almost too much to bear. They'd all lost so much already.

"Because I'd die before I'd let somethin' happen to you. Or Carol. As long as I'm around, nothin's ever gonna happen to either of you"

Lana nodded, breaking her eyes away from his. She turned and walked over to her table, pulling up a chair between Carl and Glenn.

With a small sigh, Daryl made his way over to where Carol was just finishing up with the eggs. Her blue eyes flickered up at his as he approached, and she offered a small smile.

"How'd you go with her?" she asked as he gathered up the utensils left on the bench to put in the sink.

"Glenn just about gave up, but I managed to get her settled"

Daryl sat Judith onto the counter in front of him. She had been getting a lot heavier as she grew, and a lot harder to hold because of that and her nearly constant squirming. He swore the kid was just a little ball of energy.

"Ya feelin' any better now?" he asked her.

"Not really, but I'm well enough to eat a bit at least"

He pressed his hands onto the bench and leaned over to her side, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Rest up and get better, okay?"

"Okay"

With that he picked up Judith and placed her on the floor, where she went running off towards where Rick was sitting. He hardly spent as much time with his daughter as the rest of them, but he still loved her dearly. She catapulted into her father's outspread arms and he sat her up on his lap before shoving another spoonful of eggs into his mouth.

Carol made her way around the long bench and joined him where he stood on the other side, a plate in each hand. One was packed with food, and the other with only piece of toast and some eggs on the side. She handed him the plate with the most food.

"Come on, lets eat" he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and the pair strolled towards two empty seats.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Sorry about the wait, I've been busy. Anyway, here's the next chapter ^^

**Disclaimer: **The Walking Dead and its characters belong to AMC/Robert Kirkman. Lana Fitzpatrick and Sheriff are my own fan characters and belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

By lunchtime Carol's sickness seemed to have mostly gone away. She was still a little queasy, but she was feeling well enough to go about her normal routine without too much trouble. A loud bang sounded as she pushed another old whiteboard up against the thick iron gates surrounding the school.

Reinforcement of the fences still had a long way to go, but for now they seemed to have enough resources to at least make a start on the project. Whiteboards were among the most useful object to use for the job because of their size and sturdiness. Unused desks and chairs had been pushed against the fence as well, but were hardly strong enough to be used as permanent reinforcements.

Carol took a step back to admire her handiwork, a line of whiteboards stretching a good 10 metres along the perimeter. It wasn't much compared to the length of the entire fence, but for all the effort dragging the damn things out here with Sasha's help and pushing them into position one by one, it wasn't too bad a job.

She reached a hand up to her forehead to wipe away the accumulating sweat. The heat was hell today, with not a cloud in the sky and the sun beating down intensely. You could see the heat wavering through the thick humid air, dancing dizzyingly up from the horizon.

Carol turned away from the fence to see Daryl quickly making his way over. She stood with her hand shielding her eyes from the bright rays, the other placed on her hip as she awaited his approach.

"We're about to head out, we'll be back soon. Sure ya don't wanna come?" he said, slinging his crossbow strap over his shoulder.

"Someone has to take care of things around here. Besides, it'll be easier with a smaller group" she replied.

She stepped closer to him, until their chests were touching, their faces so close they were almost breathing the same air. She wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a light kiss on his lips.

"Stay safe"

He breathed a small sigh.

"Always do"

"Come _on_ Daryl!"

He rolled his eyes as the loud voice interrupted their moment, Carol breathing a laugh before she pulled away to let him go. She peered around him to the source of the yell.

"He's coming Lana" she called, then turned back to Daryl. "You better hurry, sounds like someones getting impatient"

"Don't see why, its hell out there. Why does she wanna come so bad?" Daryl asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"She just wants to help out"

"She can help out here" he grumbled.

"Daryl, she's sixteen. I know you're worried, I am too, but she's old enough to handle herself out there. She did it before she found us. Except then, she didn't have you to keep her safe"

Carol wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, then let him go so he could join Lana where she was waiting, slouched against the doorframe. The pair headed in to grab their gear, before heading out the front entrance to meet up with the rest of the group. Maggie and Tara were already waiting inside their truck, while Glenn hung out the door, waiting for them to catch up. Michonne leaned against the side of the dusty vehicle with her arms folded across her chest. A sheriff's hat popped up from behind the trailer as they got closer.

"This is?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, just us. We tried keeping it as small as we could, but these two insisted on coming as well" Michonne said, gesturing with her head towards Lana, as well as Carl who had suddenly appeared beside her.

"So where exactly are we headed?"

"Its a small town a few miles from here, there didn't seem to be many walkers down there when me and Michonne came across it last time" Glenn replied. "A couple of the stores looked nearly untouched, we thought we could bring back some new clothes, maybe some other supplies if we get lucky"

Daryl nodded, before stepping up to the trailer of the truck and swinging himself unto the back. Even though he lost his bike back at the prison, he still liked the feeling of the wind rushing past as they travelled. Plus there wasn't that much room in the front so somebody had to.

He was greeted by a bark as he noticed the shepherd mix, clad in a police dog vest, laying on the other side of the trailer. Daryl reached over and gave Sheriff a rough scratch behind the ear as Lana and Carl both clambered in after him. Michonne swung herself up last. The engine started with a rumble, spluttering a little before it started its steady hum. The gravel crunched under the tyres as it reversed, before Glenn shifted the gears and drove down the driveway to the gate, where Sasha was waiting to let them out.

* * *

The town was eerily empty, with only a few walkers wandering around in the distance. The buildings were in a state of decay. Paint peeling off of walls to reveal crumbling brick underneath, rubbish and debris blowing across the streets like a tumbleweed in an old western movie. The only sound was the sound of shoes scraping across the asphalt as they walked together towards the department store. It was nearly too quiet.

Daryl was constantly on alert, occasionally tossing a glance over his shoulder should a threat present itself. He nearly jumped as Lana grabbed his lower arm.

"Are you okay?"

The look on her face was of genuine concern. He must have looked really on edge.

"Yeah, 'm fine. Just keeping an eye out" he said as he unhitched his crossbow from his shoulder, deciding instead to carry it in front of him.

Lana nodded, returning her gaze in front of her and settling her hand by her pistol. When they reached the door, Glenn cupped his hands to his eyes and peered into the grime covered window.

"I can't see anything from here. It looks empty" he said, turning back to the group.

Daryl pushed to the front of the group and took a look for himself, straining his eyes to see through the darkness inside.

"Looks clear enough, but we better keep a look out for walkers" he said, gripping the dented door handle and gently turning it. A bell dinged as they entered, causing Daryl to wince at the sound. They all stood stock still in the doorway, waiting for any sign that there was a walker present in the store. Silence. With that, the group filed in.

They all went their separate ways once inside. Lana and Carl headed over to the kid's section, Maggie, Tara and Michonne towards the women's section. Daryl and Glenn wandered around until they reached the menswear, occasionally stopping to grab anything else they thought would come in handy.

Daryl grabbed a bunch of shirts and pants, making sure to find sizes that would cater to the rest of their group back at the school. There wasn't much that was particularly intriguing to him, it wasn't exactly his style of dress, but he did find a couple good pairs of pants that Carol would probably be thankful he grabbed. She was always trying to steal his pants away to patch them up, but he didn't let her. He honestly didn't mind, and they would just get holes in them again anyway. No point wasting time trying to fix them up.

Once his pack was nearly full, he decided to roam around and see if there was anything else useful to find in the store. As he passed by the women's section, a bright crimson shirt caught his eye. The fabric was pulled together in loose ruffles, the neckline wide with sleeves that fell off the shoulder. He reached out a hand to touch the fabric, grabbing it lightly between his fingers. Red was Carol's favourite colour. He slid the shirt off its hanger and neatly folded it, before placing it into his bag delicately.

"Hey Daryl, check this out" Glenn called softly from the other side of the room. He was standing by a closed metal door with the word 'STORAGE' printed across it in bold. He twisted the metal door knob and pulled, only to find it locked. Glenn let out a frustrated breath.

"Do you think we could get this open? There's probably heaps of stuff in there we could use" he asked, folding his arms.

Daryl looked at the door as he assessed his options. He tried the handle for himself, while leaning against the door with his shoulder and pushing against it incase it was just stuck. The thing didn't budge. It was definitely locked. Daryl huffed, took a few steps back and put his hands on his hips. He looked over his shoulder, blue eyes scanning rest of the store. They needed something to pry the door open, like a crowbar, but why would there be a crowbar in here? A nearby clothing rack caught his eye. He hurried over, ripping shirts and clothes hangers from the rack before yanking one of the arms off the main part of the stand. The black metal pole could nearly pass for an actual crowbar.

"This do?" he asked Glenn, holding up the pole in front of him.

Glenn moved aside as Daryl stepped up to the door, wedging the metal bar between the door and the frame and using it as a lever. With a crack, the door gave way, swinging open quickly from the force of the lever. Glenn wore a smile of victory as the open door revealed a large room packed with shelves full of boxes, clothes, and shoes, as well as trolleys and an old scissor lift. Ladders on rails were fixed to the shelves so you could reach the higher up products. From the outside, the store didn't even seem big enough to have such a massive store room. It was almost like a warehouse, nearly bigger than the store itself.

"Sweet!" Glenn exclaimed, pulling out his torch.

He half jogged-half walked over to the first set of shelves, positioning his torch on top of one at face height, and started rummaging through the piles.

Daryl peered in, then whistled to catch the attention of the rest of the group. Sheriff bounded over to him from behind the counter, stopping at his feet and looking up happily. Lana and Carl quickly emerged from behind a pile of boxes, eyes attentive and by the look on their faces, confused as to what was going on.

As the pair approached him, joined by the three women, he gestured with his head to the dark room.

"Glenn found a storage room. We're gonna have a look around, see what we can find" he told them.

"I'll keep watch out here" Michonne said, turning and walking over to the register. She leaned her back against the counter, pressing her hands back against the edge behind her.

The rest of the group ventured into the storage room, separating into different isles but making sure to stick close by each other should danger present itself. Lana pulled a box out from a small pile and got to work unpacking wasn't much you couldn't find out in the main part of the store, nothing but clothes and shoes, with the odd accessory appearing every few boxes or so.

She let out a yelp when something scurried over her foot. Green eyes flashed down just in time to see a mangy looking rat scampering under one of the shelves. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, as she loosened the tight grip she hadn't realised she held on her torch.

"Are you okay?" Carl asked as he rounded the corner into her isle.

Lana got up from her crouched position on the floor and wiped her dusty hands on her shorts.

"Yeah, just a rat. It caught me by surprise" she explained.

"Hey, I found something in one of those boxes over there, I thought you might like it" he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a thin silver chain. From the chain dangled a silver owl pendant, with small green jewels for eyes.

Lana's eyes brightened at the sight of the necklace, a mesmerised look on her face as her eyes followed the swinging pendant.

"I mean, I knew you liked owls so…"

"Oh, its so pretty" she said as she reached out to touch the small hanging owl.

She stroked it delicately between her finger and thumb, as if afraid that a movement too rough would damage it.

"I love it, thank you" she said, her bright green eyes meeting his.

"Here" he said, undoing the clasp and moving behind her.

He lowered over her head and rested it on her chest, as he worked to re-fasten the clasp. Lana glanced down at the small silver charm hanging from her neck, her hand moving up to caress it under her fingers. She turned towards him, their faces mere inches apart. She smiled as she leaned in, before a low shout interrupted them from the next isle over.

"Hey Carl, I found some comics if you wanna have a look" Glenn called.

They both breathed a laugh, their breath mingling in the small space between them. Lana pulled back slightly.

"Go on, look at your comics. I'll just finish up with this box" she said, bending over to start shifting through its contents once again.

"We will continue this later" Carl said as he turned and headed over to where Glenn was calling from.

"Save some for me" Lana shouted after him as he disappeared around the corner.

A few minutes later, another low shout sounded from a few isles down in the opposite direction to Carl and Glenn.

"Hey, can someone give me a hand? This box is really heavy" Tara called.

Lana lifted herself from her spot on the ground and headed in Tara's direction. A few isles down she turned a corner only to come face to face with a decomposing figure, the skin of its half face shredded and decayed in a sickly shade of green with empty eyes sunken into its skull. Lana screamed but no sound came out, and the monster lunged at her. She nearly stumbled over her feet as she scrambled away from the walker.

"Help!" she screamed, finally able to speak.

She backed into a shelf, frantically trying to get away from the snarling, snapping teeth, fully exposed as the mouth had been ripped away. Behind her, she felt the structure start to give way, leaning with her force as she pushed against it. The walker was only inches away from grabbing her and sinking its black stained teeth into her flesh when an arrow shot through its head. The monster dropped into a crumpled heap at her feet, but the shelves behind her kept moving. The shelves smashed loudly into the concrete wall beside it, its contents spilling over the ground with a melody of bangs and crashes.

Lana was still breathing quickly and heavily, so shaken from the sudden chain of events that she didn't even notice Carl's arms wrapped around her. He pressed her into him, one hand on the back of her head and the other on her upper back.

"Jesus, Lana, you alright?" Daryl called, his face a mix of worry and fright as he hurried over to her.

It took her a moment to respond.

"Yeah, I'm alright, it didn't get me" she said, peeling out of Carl's grip.

A shout came from within the store.

"Daryl, there's walkers everywhere out there! They know we're in here" Michone yelled from the doorway.

The group broke into a run for the main part of the store, Daryl slipping out in front of the others. A large herd of walkers were pressed up against the doors, decomposing faces pressed against the glass as arms clawed at the doorway, trying to force their way in.

"'s there another way out?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.

"Not that I can see" Michonne replied.

"We need to find another way out. Stay in pairs, we don't need another accident" he yelled, rushing back into the storage room.

The group split, looking for any way they could escape. A door, a window, anything. Daryl checked every inch, every corner of the storage room at least three times before cursing and running back out into the store.

"Anything?" he asked, his tone quickly becoming panicked.

"Nothing. I can't find anything" Maggie replied"

Glenn just shook his head.

"Damnit!" Daryl yelled, pounding a fist into a nearby wall.

The hammering on the door was louder, the growls and moans from the walkers outside slowly rising as more joined the herd. Although almost undetectable, a faint noise caught Daryl's attention.

The sound of cracking glass.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Wow, I'm so sorry about how long it took to upload this! I was in America for 2 weeks without my computer, and I didn't get to finish this chapter before I left. So, here it is now. I'm sorry I couldn't make it longer, I'll try to make up for it with the next chapter ;3

**Disclaimer: **The Walking Dead and its characters belong to AMC/Robert Kirkman. Lana Fitzpatrick and Sheriff are my own fan characters and belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

After her work with the fence, Carol was exhausted. The scavenging group had been gone for a few hours now, so it was unusually quiet. Barely a sound was heard throughout the school, other than the occasional echo of footsteps or distant squeal from Judith from outside. There wasn't much else that needed to be done, so Carol decided a small nap was in order. After grabbing a book from the pile of possessions atop a desk in her room, she settled herself in on the mattress.

She wasn't quite sure when, but at some point she must've dozed off, because she found herself being woken up by a giggling two year old by the side of her bed. She grunted as she moved herself up, the book falling from where it lay crumpled across her lower face down to her lap. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes, pushing a few loose curls from her face before turning to the girl scrambling onto the mattress.

"Hey Ass Kicker, who's looking after you?"

Carol had taken to calling Judith by her nickname more often than her actual name, a habit picked up from too much time spent with Daryl. She smiled at the girl, then picked her up under the arms and settled her into her lap.

She was different to how Sophia had been at her age. Sophia had been a loud baby, always waking up the neighbours. Ed had hated it. She had always been afraid of what he would've done had she not been there to quiet the girl down. However, Judith was fairly quiet. As a newborn, anyway. She had become a bit more vocal as she grew, in the same way Sophia had become more shy and quiet. But they both had big hearts, and seemingly unending optimism even in the worst circumstances. Even though she had been scared after the apocalypse began, Sophia was still rarely seen without a smile on her face. She adored that about her.

Carol felt a pang of sadness at the thought, but she still found joy in those old memories. Sometimes she wandered what Sophia would've been like if she was still here. It had crossed her mind more than once over the past few years. She would've become strong, capable, selfless. But there was also the chance it could have gone completely wrong, and the world could have ruined her little girl. Like Lizzie.

Her face hardened at the thought. She pushed the memory out of her mind and returned her attention to Judith, who was trying to make herself comfortable in Carol's lap. With her hand she stroked the girl's hair, light reddish-brown curls smooth under her fingers.

Her hand was moved to her temple as an ache throbbed in her head. She must be coming down with something. The ache amplified quickly, and she thought it best to get some medication for it.

"Come on Jude, we're going on a walk" she said, allowing Judith to clamber off the bed before getting up herself. Her bones cracked and popped as she stretched out with a groan. Judith reached up to grab her hand and the pair left the room

* * *

Lilly had been standing by the bench in what was once a nurse's office, sorting through the gathered supplies from the most recent run, when Carol walked in with Judith trailing closely behind her. The bottle of pills she held rattled as she placed it on the tabletop.

"What can I do for you girls?" she asked with a smile.

"Could I grab some Tylenol? I think I'm coming down with something. I've got this killer headache, and this morning I was having trouble keeping my breakfast down" Carol explained as she walked over. She leaned her hip on the bench and pressed her hand against the edge.

"Sure" Lilly answered with a quick nod. She opened a cupboard over her head and grabbed a tattered red box marked_ 'Tylenol'_.

"Is anything else up? Any other symptoms?" Lilly asked as she handed her the medication.

"Not at the moment. I'll get back to you if something else shows up" she said, before pausing and glancing to the ground.

Carol furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes swept the room. Lilly tilted her head a little to the side, confused, before following her gaze.

"Where's Judith?" Carol uttered, peering around the side of the bench.

Lilly pulled herself upright, a concentrated look on her face. A small knock, nearly undetectable, found her ears. She tapped Carol's arm, bringing a finger to her lips as she turned around. Sure enough, another noise came from one of the lower cupboards on the other side of the room. Both women smiled. They crept over softly, the sounds of toddler giggles becoming clearer as they neared. Carol pulled open the door to reveal the small girl, nestled amongst bandages and towels.

"Found me!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Lilly breathed a laugh, and turned to Carol as the pair crouched on the ground in front of Judith's hiding place.

"My Meghan used to play this game all the time. Scared the shit out of me the first time" she recalled fondly. "I would always find her in the most bizarre places. Once she somehow managed to get into one of the top cupboards, I still have no idea how"

"Mmm, Sophia was the same" Carol said softly. Her face hardened, and she dropped her gaze to the ground. "But usually it was to hide from her daddy when he came home drunk"

Lilly looked at her sympathetically, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. Silence filled the room, with the exemption of Judith who was wriggling her way out from amongst the medical supplies. Carol blinked tears gathering under her eyes. Ed had taken away a part of Sophia's childhood, a part of her innocence, after he started laying hands on her too. And Carol hated him more for that than for anything he could've possibly done to her. Despite the circumstances, Sophia didn't crumble, or let that hopeful smile ever leave her beautiful face. She would've survived out here.

"Come on Kiddo, lets get you out of there" Lilly said as she grabbed the girl under the arms and pulled her out from her hiding place.

Once on her feet, Judith sprung into her energetic state once more, only stopping when she noticed the look on Carol's face. She tilted her head to the side, her bright eyes looking into Carol's with an innocence that was hard to come by these days. Even in children. A tiny hand grasped Carol's, snapping her out of her trance.

"Lets find Daddy!" she said happily.

Carol couldn't help but smile at the girl as she stumbled through the door, disappearing into the long corridor as a echo of small footsteps and childish cackles sounded through the building. She pushed herself up from the ground and hurried to the door, turning at the doorway to Lilly.

"Thank you, I'll see you if it gets worse"

With that she swung around the corner and briskly followed the toddler running excitedly down the hallway.

By the time she caught up to Judith, she had made it to the set of looming double doors at the entrance of the school. The heavy doors wouldn't budge for the small child. With a huff, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, sticking out her bottom lip.

"Need a hand?" Carol asked as she pushed the doors open. Judith scurried out, tailed by Carol, and stopped at the top of the steps.

Two figures stood by the fence, one in a sweat coated shirt and beanie, toting a hammer in one hand with the other pressed against a wooden board. The other man stood with hands on hips as he spoke, his soil covered hands leaving light stains on his light blue button up shirt. A hand came up to his chin, lightly grazing the overgrown stubble stretching across the lower half of his face.

"Daddy!" Judith exclaimed, but before she had a chance to run off again Carol grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, balancing the girl on her hip with an almost natural ease.

"Oh no you don't. I think thats enough running around for today" she said, blowing out an exhausted breath.

She bounced her up once before walking towards the figures. The dry yellowing grass crunched under her feet with each step, the noise informing the men of her approach. Rick brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright sun harshly beating down on the yard, its brightness casting dark looming shadows across the ground. A smile crossed his face as he walked towards them.

"So thats where you went" the man chuckled.

He reached out his hands for the girl and Carol carefully handed her over. He pressed his forehead to his daughters, before turning to Carol.

"Thanks for looking after her"

"Its not the first time I've returned your daughter" she said, bitterness seeping into her words.

The distrust Rick felt towards her after the deaths at the prison had hurt, had torn her up inside. How he could just abandon her after all they'd been through was still nearly incomprehensible to her. Through the hardships, and the good times. They were family. And Rick had the nerve to throw her to the curb like a piece of trash, not intending to ever lay eyes on her again. And the worst part was that he didn't care. He didn't do it with remorse, no apologies for it having to be that way. All that mattered to him in that moment was 'protecting' her from Tyresse, and 'protecting' Carl and Judith from her. It was kind of ironic the day she found him and the group, Judith on her hip and Tyreese close behind.

She'd tried to forgive him, she really had, but that was a feat easier said than done. It was too easy for him to do what he did. Heartless. The reason she'd been let go. Pretty ironic.

Rick's smile faltered, his eyes breaking contact with hers but she refused to look away.

"Carol, you know I'm sorry for what I did. I was wrong. I shouldn't have let you go"

"Because I had Judith" she stated, her tone sharp but calm.

A sigh escaped Ricks mouth as he looked up at her, squinting as the sun's light beamed into his face.

"No. Thats not it" he said slowly.

He shifted his weight and repositioned Judith in his arms, before turning and walking to Tyreese, who had busied himself with hammering nails into a large piece of wood, securing it to the iron fence.

"Could you take her for a minute? I'll be right back" he said quietly as he offered the toddler to the large man.

"No problem" Tyreese responded with a brisk nod. He set down his tool and took Judith in his arms.

With an appreciative nod Rick turned from the man and rejoined Carol, tapping her on the elbow as he walked past in long quick strides.

"Lets go check the perimeter"

Hesitating a little at first, she turned to where Tyreese stood with Judith. He nodded slowly to her, indicating it was a good idea to talk, no matter how much Carol didn't want to continue on the topic. With a drawn out sigh, she reluctantly followed Rick across the yard.

It was a large place they had found, especially for a school. From what Carol could tell, the property as a whole seemed to be around the same size as the prison. Despite not having as many fences as the prison, the big black iron gates that surrounded the perimeter were in a sense better than the prison gates, stronger and thicker. Schools hadn't been like this when she was younger. It was more like a prison than the prison.

The sun had dried out a great deal of the grass, and it crackled under their feet with each stride. Patches of dirt, where the grass had been torn away, were scattered across the yard every so often, giving it a sort of desolate appearance. Apart from the main building, there was gym and auditorium, square buildings made of dirty white brick, which were currently being used for training and artillery storage.

"You've been doing a good job fortifying the fence. I saw you out here this morning" he said.

"I'm just doing my job" Carol said, pausing. "Y'know, stepping up"

There was a hint of malice in her voice, something she wished wasn't even there to begin with. It was easier to forgive and forget, the same had been done to her for something much worse. Though she wouldn't blame Tyreese if his feelings towards her were somewhat similar to hers towards Rick. But she and Rick had been through so much more, they were family.

"Carol, I get you're still mad at me, but what you did for me, for Judith, I can't ever repay that. You kept my little girl alive. You're the closest thing she has to a mother now that Beth—"

"Rick, its fine. You know that I've forgiven you" she said, desperately trying to end the conversation.

Rick stopped walking and took a step in front of Carol, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

"Carol. You and I both know that you still have a problem with me and I get that, but you have to see that I'm trying here" Rick continued, after placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to look him in the eye.

She remained silent for a moment, breaking eye contact and shrugging off his hand. Her teeth grazed her lip as she thought, and her expression hardened.

"Its just— I try to forgive you, I want to. God knows I've done worse and still given another chance. But its hard. You just… cast me aside like I was nothing, like I meant nothing. As if the that past year and all our group has been through together meant nothing. You were my family, and I thought I could trust you and rely on you"

The words tumbled from her mouth in an endless flow as Carol finally, after months of bottling up her thoughts, let it all out. She looked up at Rick desperately as he gave a knowing nod, allowing himself to glance away from her.

"I don't blame you" he said.

Carol took in a deep shuddering breath, the tears welling up in her eyes about to spill over. She wiped at her face with her sleeve. She didn't want to cry, not now. Not in front of him.

"But, I'll try" she said in a voice not too far from a whisper.

"Well, I think the fences are all holding up nicely. Thanks again" Rick said, his mood seeming to lighten slightly. Carol nodded, and Rick started to head back over to where Tyreese had Judith.

She let out a sigh, once again wiping away the tears in her eyes, and brought her hand up to her head. She would try.


End file.
